In recent years, care for people with severe mental illnesses (SMI) has shifted from institutional to recovery-based treatment in which informal caregivers often have an important role. However, their increased involvement has elevated issues such as role strain or burden of care, which indicates that …

Academisch Proefschrift, ter verkrijging van de graad Doctor aan de Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, op gezag van de rector magnificus prof. dr. J.J.G. Geurts, volgens besluit van de decaan van de Faculteit der Bètawetenschappen in het openbaar te verdedigen op donderdag 19 februari 2026 om 11.45 uur in …

Introduction: Mental health conditions are highly prevalent among adolescents, affecting one in seven individuals and accounting for 15% of the global disease burden in this age group. The promotion of health behaviours including physical activity, nutrition, and sleep, and reduction of sedentary behaviour, …

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a disabling mental health disorder affecting psychosocial functioning and quality of life. This systematic review is the first to summarize existing global literature on the relationship between PTSD and specific domains of cognitive function in the general population …

Abstract Introduction: The construct of epistemic trust (ET) has gained wide acceptance and support in the field, although there is little empirical evidence to substantiate the theo retical assumed model. Studies of the assessment of ET were conducted in community samples only and the mediating role …

It is by no means uncommon that academic scholars, journalists and even poets use the epi-thet ‘age of’ to signal how a certain feature is particularly characteristic of the times in which we live. In this chapter, we argue that it makes sense to address our current epoch as an ‘age of emotions’. Broadly …

People with personality disorders (PDs) are often difficult to reach emotionally in therapy. As music therapy (MT) provides an entry point to emotions and facilitates contact and communication, it is regularly used with this target group. This study presents a case study of a 40-year-old woman diagnosed …

Background A growing body of literature indicates that adolescent girls who talk with close friends about interpersonal problems or worries in an excessive, speculative way, and with an intense focus on distress (i.e., co-rumination) are at heightened risk for developing internalizing symptoms and disorders …

The COVID-19 pandemic has a significant impact on the health and well-being of all health care professionals. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses reported prevalence rates of 13.5%- 44.7% for depression, 12.3%-41.2% for anxiety, 5.2%-56.5% for acute stress reaction, 7.4%- 37.4% for post-traumatic stress …

Background Psychiatric comorbidity is high in adults with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), with up to 90% having at least one additional condition, and two-thirds having two or more other diagnoses. With an increasing aging population in industrialized counties, knowing which psychiatric disorders …